tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post7285580038116785317..comments2024-03-26T14:34:28.415-07:00Comments on Religion and Child Abuse News: Israeli government task force recommends legislation to protect citizens from cultsPerry Bulwerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-37594976549435808422016-04-14T15:12:00.848-07:002016-04-14T15:12:00.848-07:00Sexual relations between cult leaders and follower...Sexual relations between cult leaders and followers to be considered assault<br /> <br />By LAHAV HARKOV Jerusalem Post Israel News March 30, 2016<br /> <br /> The Knesset passed a law Wednesday that would have sexual relations between a religious leader and a follower be considered assault, even if they were consensual.<br /> <br />"In recent years," the law's explanatory Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-32366276731396742512016-04-08T16:06:20.431-07:002016-04-08T16:06:20.431-07:00France
In contrast, the French government has act...France<br /><br />In contrast, the French government has actively sought to disband cults and has even created a “cult-fighting” unit within its law enforcement branch of government. While France runs across the same difficulty defining cults that the U.S. has, the French government did take the time to create a list of ten cult characteristics in 1995 which has proved important for legal cases Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-19199744875403045102016-04-08T16:06:05.144-07:002016-04-08T16:06:05.144-07:00There have been a series of high profile court cas...There have been a series of high profile court cases involving cults in Israel over the past several years. In 2014, accused cult leader Goel Ratzon was sentenced to 30 years in prison in October 2014 for a slew of sex crimes but escaped persecution for a count of slavery. One of his former “wives” was interviewed immediately after the court’s decision and said:<br /> <br />It seems that in the Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-71048793366506726882016-04-08T16:04:51.555-07:002016-04-08T16:04:51.555-07:00Israel’s Battle to Dismantle Cults: An Inspiration...Israel’s Battle to Dismantle Cults: An Inspiration for the Rest of the World?<br /><br />By Jillian Sequeira | Law Street Media March 28, 2016<br /> <br />In the United States last month, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints made headlines for committing food stamp fraud. The infamous cult, which the Southern Poverty Law Center referred to as “white supremacist, Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-36628626052431359702016-04-08T15:48:22.086-07:002016-04-08T15:48:22.086-07:00Other Jewish offenders include the Kabbalah Centre...Other Jewish offenders include the Kabbalah Centre (busted for defrauding a woman dying of cancer into giving them all her money) and Rabbi Aharon Ramati, whose ultra-orthodox girls’ seminary has been busted by religious and state authorities for cult-like activities including isolating girls from their families and treating the rabbi’s every command as holy—but which has resurfaced yet again, Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-38663215013372040422016-04-08T15:48:09.686-07:002016-04-08T15:48:09.686-07:00All it would take is one Lubavitch rabbi to be cha...All it would take is one Lubavitch rabbi to be charged with sexual abuse, or fraud, or any other crime, and the largest Hasidic sect in the world could, legally, qualify as a “harmful cult.” Of course, that’s not going to happen, but it shows how overly broad the language of the bill is.<br /><br />Criticisms aside, though, why is this law being proposed in the first place?<br /><br />Well, for Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-78306862106044006772016-04-08T15:46:53.344-07:002016-04-08T15:46:53.344-07:00Israels Cult Crackdown Could Snare Yoga, Rabbis, a...Israels Cult Crackdown Could Snare Yoga, Rabbis, and Meditation<br /><br />by JAY MICHAELSON, Daily Beast March 13, 2016<br /><br />A radical new law is more about right-wing nationalism than protecting Israelis from dangerous religious leaders<br />.<br />Amid all the turmoil of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—most recently, last week’s horrific stabbing of 10 civilians, including one Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-36007137364745515342016-03-23T13:36:25.767-07:002016-03-23T13:36:25.767-07:00The majority of new groups, even those that may be...The majority of new groups, even those that may be considered cults, are not potential tragedies waiting to happen; neither will every person involved in such a group be harmed. Every year there are new groups that form - religious, spiritual, educational, therapeutic, human potential, occult etc. A number of them may, at first glance, appear bizarre because their beliefs or lifestyles are Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-81738125449267681062016-03-23T13:36:16.420-07:002016-03-23T13:36:16.420-07:00The recent attempt to pass a law in Israel dealing...The recent attempt to pass a law in Israel dealing with cults and a forthcoming bill to curb sects in Russia reminds me of a response to an editorial in La Presse newspaper that I wrote in 2000. This text which I feel is pertinent can also be can be found on the following page of our website : http://infosect.freeshell.org/infocult/ICPubs.html<br /> <br />Mike Kropveld<br />Executive Director, Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-12592402603547540232016-02-22T13:18:39.716-08:002016-02-22T13:18:39.716-08:00Who said someone in the army chooses how to behave...Who said someone in the army chooses how to behave, and has mental control over his behavior? Every group that has some sort of surveillance can be considered in this way.”<br /><br />He also argues that leaders of these groups who committed crimes — such as Goel Ratzon — are punished for those crimes “very severely by the state, so why do you need the law” to add more charges?<br /><br />FinallyPerry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-67741016432921028492016-02-22T13:18:32.280-08:002016-02-22T13:18:32.280-08:00The group gathers testimony and, once it receives ...The group gathers testimony and, once it receives a number of reliable accounts (she stresses the organization will never rely on a single account), it will classify some groups as cults. (The organization identifies the Harish group as a cult, based on the testimonies of 15 families who left).<br /><br />“There has been no initiative by the authorities to take a stand,” she says. When people Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-61229361064850118122016-02-22T13:16:38.597-08:002016-02-22T13:16:38.597-08:00As the bill passes its first hurdles in the Knesse...As the bill passes its first hurdles in the Knesset, some researchers maintain that the definition of “cults” is inherently problematic, and could be applied to a broad range of groups. They maintain that accusations of “brainwashing” and cult members losing their free will is scientifically invalid, that the legislation is “vague” and could compromise religious freedoms. If Israel adopts the Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-67055972502254717522016-02-22T13:15:00.901-08:002016-02-22T13:15:00.901-08:00MKs bid to tackle harmful cults that ensnare 20,00...MKs bid to tackle harmful cults that ensnare 20,000 Israelis. But it’s not so simple<br /><br />From polygamous sexual predators to the ‘Jewish Taliban,’ sects draw in large numbers of susceptible adherents. Will new legislation break the spell? Or does it go too far, threatening religious freedom?<br /><br />BY MARISSA NEWMAN, political correspondent The Times of Israel February 22, 2016<br />Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-70557673063713419942016-02-16T15:36:17.800-08:002016-02-16T15:36:17.800-08:00MKs war on cults – will others be caught in the cr...MKs war on cults – will others be caught in the crossfire?<br /><br />Anti-cult bill would grant courts expansive powers.<br /> <br />By David Rosenberg, Arutz Sheva February 16, 2016<br /><br />What constitutes a cult and what is a legitimate social group or organization? It’s a question that has long plagued liberal democracies who have tried to balance the rights of religious freedom and Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-74306377494335316052016-02-15T10:59:16.961-08:002016-02-15T10:59:16.961-08:00Law and order: Cult-busting bill gets ministerial ...Law and order: Cult-busting bill gets ministerial approval <br /><br />By LAHAV HARKOV Jerusalem Post February 14, 2016<br /> <br />MKs propose letting the public submit legislation to the Knesset<br /> <br />Proposal includes first legal definition of an abusive cult; leading a cult would be considered a crime carrying a 10-year prison sentence.<br /> <br />Legislation defining Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-85189853868378153552016-02-15T10:49:59.994-08:002016-02-15T10:49:59.994-08:00In Israel this is twice as hard since there is no ...In Israel this is twice as hard since there is no law that defines a harmful cult that has to be shut down. As a result, cults can operate in Israel almost without interruption, while authorities can act against them only by catching their leaders on legal technicalities such as sanitation violations, tax evasion and other crimes and other infractions.<br /> <br />One person who joined the fight Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-69654534980067051782016-02-15T10:49:52.140-08:002016-02-15T10:49:52.140-08:00Suspected Ramati cult re-emerges
Beleaguered fam...Suspected Ramati cult re-emerges<br /> <br />Beleaguered families of women who follow rabbi Aharon Ramati find their daughters trapped inside a seminary where they live in squalid conditions. Since all participants are adults, the state currently has little power to intervene.<br /> <br /><br />by Elisha Ben Kimon Ynetnews February 13, 2016<br /> <br />In February 2013, late in the evening Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-57723184712100681792015-06-06T14:21:29.017-07:002015-06-06T14:21:29.017-07:00Accused Jerusalem ultra Orthodox cult leader barre...Accused Jerusalem ultra Orthodox cult leader barred from teaching girls<br /><br />Police investigates Aharon Ramati, the head of a women's seminary, after families complained students had been held there against their will.<br /> <br />By Yair Ettinger | Haaretz May 28, 2015<br /> <br />The head of the Be’er Miriam women’s seminary in Jerusalem, Aharon Ramati, has been forbidden to managePerry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-826668157346636862015-05-03T15:50:36.448-07:002015-05-03T15:50:36.448-07:00Rabbi Involved in Cult Case in Jerusalem Seminary ...Rabbi Involved in Cult Case in Jerusalem Seminary Arrested<br /><br />Seminary in Sanhedria raided and Rabbi Aharon Ramati arrested amid media storm; since 2014, parents have said he is running a 'cult.'<br /> <br />By Tova Dvorin, Arutz Sheva May 3, 2015<br /><br />The director of a Sephardic haredi girls' seminary in Jerusalem has been arrested on Sunday, following a string of Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-57024473928611303062014-11-21T11:36:20.770-08:002014-11-21T11:36:20.770-08:00Former Hasidic Jew sues the province for getting a...Former Hasidic Jew sues the province for getting a poor education<br /> <br />Yohanan Lowen, who attended Hasidic schools in Boisbriand, seeks more than $1M in damages<br /><br />CBC News November 18, 2014 <br /><br />A former member of a Boisbriand Hasidic community is suing the Quebec government for more than $1 million for damages he says he suffered from getting a poor education.<br /><br Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-11124321954993008422014-11-21T11:30:16.744-08:002014-11-21T11:30:16.744-08:00I could go on but there are big differences that I...I could go on but there are big differences that I feel make it difficult to brand Hasidim as a cult in the way that term has been popularly used in recent decades. Rebbes have not been known to take advantage of their followers to amass personal riches or a sexual harem, as many cult leaders did in the 1960s and ’70s. Yes, there have been many Hasidic individuals who have been accused of sexual Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-73687821599180480152014-11-21T11:30:07.475-08:002014-11-21T11:30:07.475-08:00The Hasidic Community Is Not a Cult - No Kool-Aid ...The Hasidic Community Is Not a Cult - No Kool-Aid in Those Black Hats<br /><br />By Joseph Berger, Jewish Daily Forward November 18, 2014<br /> <br />At a recent talk I gave on my new book, “The Pious Ones: The World of Hasidim and Their Battles With America,” a friend in the audience came away with some rather sharp comments, agreeing with some of the points I made, but finally dismissing Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-10551699598511345082014-10-28T11:32:03.413-07:002014-10-28T11:32:03.413-07:00The indictment said Razon’s 21 wives were made to ...The indictment said Razon’s 21 wives were made to feel they were “required to serve [him] and fulfill all of his demands,” allegedly including sexual acts. It accuses Ratzon of using his standing and the women’s adulation to demand that some of them perform sexual acts on him.<br /><br />The indictment describes a chilling account of Ratzon’s alleged deeds, including one instance where he Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-18889940151125782082014-10-28T11:31:42.423-07:002014-10-28T11:31:42.423-07:00Head of polygamist cult Ratzon sentenced to 30 yea...Head of polygamist cult Ratzon sentenced to 30 years in prison<br /><br />By YONAH JEREMY BOB, Jerusalem Post October 28, 2014<br /><br />Prior to his January 2010 arrest, Ratzon had 21 "wives" and over 40 children from those wives who were part of his cult over a period of around 30 years.<br /><br />Cult-leader Goel Ratzon was sentenced on Tuesday to 30 years in prison on his Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4377671787652051592.post-27056899121929187802014-09-28T12:54:01.325-07:002014-09-28T12:54:01.325-07:00What is the difference between a valid religious e...What is the difference between a valid religious experience and a cult? According to Robert J. Lifton, an expert in the field of cult studies, cults exert total environmental control, controlling all information. The cult’s truth is absolute, members even depending on the cult for definitions of reality.<br /><br />People are taught the meaninglessness and futility of their former way of life, Perry Bulwerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12494489416673128157noreply@blogger.com